Advanced Facility Engagement Guidelines | Dick’s Sporting Goods

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As part of Dick’s Sporting Goods ongoing commitment to sustainability and as noted in the 2019 & 2021 Global Sourcing Compliance Guidelines informing you about our partnership with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), it is now a requirement for our supply chain partners to complete the Higg Index facility modules.

The Higg Index is a suite of tools developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), for the standardized measurement of supply chain sustainability, used by the footwear, apparel, textile, and other industries.  Verification of the self-assessment ensures that facilities have accurately completed all parts of the Higg Facility module – giving the self-assessment data increased credibility and accuracy.  As members of the SAC, participating brands and retailers agree to rely on these verified self-assessments rather than conducting separate audits of their own.

The Higg FEM (Facility Environmental Module)  is an industry-leading sustainability assessment tool that standardizes how facilities measure and evaluate their environmental sustainability performance.

The Higg FSLM (Facility Social & Labor Module) measures the social impact of manufacturing across areas such as wages, working hours, health and safety, and employee treatment. 

For 2022, Dick’s Sporting Goods is requiring that ALL suppliers (both Softlines & Hardlines) purchase one of the following Higg Facility Subscription options from their account’s Higg Subscriptions page. See descriptions below.

In-Scope Tier 1 Suppliers (ie: Production, Final Assembly, Facility finished products are packed/ shipped from)

  • Facility Plus Subscription – this subscription includes access to the standard Higg FEM 2021 self-assessment and the Higg FSLM self-assessment; this option also includes access to FEM Communication Toolkit, benchmarking, and CSV exports.
    • Facilities that are required by Dick’s Sporting Goods to complete BOTH Higg FEM 2021 and FSLM should choose this option.
    • COST: $629.00 USD per year
  • Verification Assessment*
    • COST: $525.00 USD (Access to FEM & FSLM verification programs)
    • Please note that there will be separate additional fees paid to the selected third party verifying body. These fees vary across companies according to specific travel costs, number of days, tax rates, etc.

*SLCP via FFC or Betterwork – Facilities engaged  in the ILO’s Better Work program OR that have chosen an Accredited Host other than Higg (i.e. FFC) for SLCP completion, Dick’s Sporting Goods would like these facilities to  transfer their verified SLCP to the Higg platform, at a small transfer fee. The transfer process is outlined under Step 6 in the “Getting Started” section below.

In-Scope Mills/Trim Suppliers

  • Facility Environmental Subscription – this subscription includes access to the standard Higg FEM 2021 self-assessment.
    • Facilities that are required by Dick’s Sporting Goods to complete ONLY the Higg FEM should choose this option.
    • Cost: $429.00 USD per year
  • Verification Assessment
    • COST: $300.00 USD per year

Dick’s Sporting Goods is working with Higg, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s technology partner, to help factories in completing their Higg Foundations assessment. Higg will be sending email communications on a regular basis to you and each factory that needs to complete the assessment. They will provide guidance on next steps and ensure factories are getting the support they need to finish and post the assessment by the specified deadlines.

Who is Higg?

Higg is the sustainability insights platform, helping consumer goods businesses take responsibility for their entire impact – from materials to products, from factories to stores, across energy, waste, water, and working conditions. 

By making both data collection and performance analysis easier, we help brands and manufacturers make better environmental, social and governance decisions – across all parts of their business. 

Spun out of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition in 2019, Higg is the exclusive licensee of the Higg Index, a suite of tools for the standardized measurement of supply chain sustainability.

What is the Higg Index?

The Higg Index is a suite of tools developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), for the standardized measurement of supply chain sustainability, used by the footwear, apparel, textile, and other industries. Together, these tools are used to assess the environmental and social performance of both value chains and products. Each tool focuses on measuring a different parameter.

STEP 1: (IMPORTANT) Make sure to add info@higg.com to your company email’s safe email sender list, otherwise you risk not receiving the ongoing communications due to email firewalls.

STEP 2: LOGIN OR CREATE A HIGG ACCOUNT
Facilities that already have active Higg accounts can log into Higg.org. First-time Higg users should start here to learn how to create an account on Higg.org

STEP 3: PURCHASE A HIGG FACILITY SUBSCRIPTION 
Once logged in, purchase the Higg Facility Subscription from the Higg subscriptions page to access the Higg facility modules that you need to complete and share with Dick’s Sporting Goods this year. Facilities that have been asked to complete verification this year will need to purchase verification along with the subscription.

For more information about Higg’s NEW facility subscription model, please refer to the PDF here and the subscription details page on HowtoHigg.

STEP 4: (IMPORTANT)  SHARE HIGG FACILITY MODULE(S) WITH Dick’s Sporting Goods
Accept the module share requests sent by Dick’s Sporting Goods.

If you do not see a pending share request from Dick’s Sporting Goods in your modules page, under Share Requests, you should click the Share Module button and initiate the module share with Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Sharing Details
Account Name: Dick’s Sporting Goods
Higg ID: 159822

STEP 5: COMPLETE AND POST HIGG SELF-ASSESSMENTS WITH Dick’s Sporting Goods
Complete 100% of the applicable questions and post the module. Facilities that have completed the Higg FEM in previous years can use the roll forward feature to easily copy data to the new self-assessment.

  • Note: For facilities that are completing Higg FSLM, it is recommended that STEP 1 is completed.

STEP 6: VERIFY HIGG SELF-ASSESSMENTS (if available in country)
Verification of the self-assessment ensures that facilities have accurately completed all parts of the Higg Facility module – giving the self-assessment data the credibility and accuracy required to share publicly.

SLCP Transfer Details (for non-Higg assessments only) – For facilities engaged  in the ILO’s Better Work program or that have chosen an Accredited Host other than Higg for SLCP completion, Dick’s Sporting Goods would like you transfer your SLCP to the Higg platform.

Follow these special instructions to transfer a verified FSLM from SCLP. The transfer price is $199.

  1. Go to FSLM and select “Link SLCP Account”
  2. Log in to SLCP Gateway
  3. Go to verified assessment you want to transfer and select “Overview of my SLCP assessment”
  4. Find “Share with another accredited host” and choose “Sustainable Apparel Coalition (Live)”
  5. Return to FSLM and select “Transfer SLCP assessment”
  6. Purchase the transfer
  7. See your transferred assessment in FSLM

Higg.org 

  • November 5, 2021 – Higg FEM 2021 self-assessment is accessible; Higg verification available to purchase
  • January 1, 2022 – Higg FEM verification is accessible
  • April 30, 2022 – Higg FEM 2021 self-assessment can no longer be unposted (once posted)
  • October 31, 2022 – Higg FEM 2021 and verification is no longer available for purchase
  • December 31, 2022 – Higg FEM 2021 reporting cycle ends; Last day to post both self and verified Higg FEM 2021

Dick’s Sporting Goods Deadlines (2021-2022)

  • May 31, 2022 – all Higg FEM self-assessments must be posted and shared with Dick’s Sporting Goods
  • July 1, 2022 – all Higg FSLM self-assessments must be posted and shared with Dick’s Sporting Goods
  • December 31, 2022 – all verified Higg FEM and FSLM assessments must be posted.

Higg User Resources

Higg’s training website, HowtoHigg.org, contains all of the information and guidance facilities need to help them at every stage of the module completion process.